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Studies have found an association between cannabis use and transient psychotic symptoms, such as unusual thoughts, suspiciousness, and hallucinatory experiences. A new study suggests that this relationship is mostly attributable to genetic predisposition. But the research, which appears in JAMA Psychiatry, found that person-specific factors also influence the association between psychotic-like experiences and cannabis use to a lesser extent.

Rampant overproduction in Oregon’s market for legal, recreational marijuana has produced a 50 percent decline in prices, according to state economists. That widely documented collapse has been hard on farmers and retailers – but a boon for consumers. A new state analysis finds the price collapse sparked a big uptick in marijuana purchases – and a corresponding increase in associated tax revenue.

A substance that gives pot its kick appears to reduce the brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease – at least in mice. In mice that had been genetically tweaked to develop symptoms like those of Alzheimer's, animals that received a synthetic form of tetrahydrocannabinol for six weeks performed as well as healthy mice on a memory test, scientists reported Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego.

Thailand is rolling out plans to legalise medical marijuana, an official told AFP Wednesday, as the country hopes to cash in on a multi-billion dollar industry with a product its supporters hail as some of the world's best. Several nations have embraced the use of medicinal cannabis, including Canada.

B.C.'s lucrative, underground marijuana business may soon go bust, starting Wednesday when recreational marijuana becomes legal in Canada. A new, legal industry has been preparing for months to serve the marketplace and that will hurt — or perhaps destroy — the province's multi-billion dollar illegal pot trade that has flourished for decades.

Veteran Henry Cobbs promises to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court if needed. A Vietnam veteran and career educator at an elite military training school now finds himself resorting to a Reagan-era executive order in hopes of clearing his name. Henry Cobbs’ crime — vaping a non-psychoactive form of cannabis to treat his prostate cancer.

There was medical cannabis news out today in the UK. It emerged that within the next month, it will be available on prescription. Currently cannabis-derived medicines are only prescribed in exceptional circumstances and a medical panel has to agree. The latest move represents a shift in the tone and the procedure by the government's Home Office.

A man has been sentenced to death in Malaysia for processing cannabis oil and distributing it to patients in need. On 30 August, the Shah Alam High Court sentenced Muhammad Lukman to death by hanging, after he was convicted of possessing, processing, and distributing cannabis oil. Three litres of cannabis oil and 279 grams of compressed cannabis were found in his home, according to local sources.

Soda's overrated, so Coca-Cola's looking into weed. Coca-Cola has been eyeing cannabis-infused drinks, according to a statement. The company said Monday that it's "closely watching" the use of CBD in "functional wellness" beverages. "The space is evolving quickly," Coca-Cola spokesman Kent Landers told Bloomberg News. "No decisions have been made at this time."

If you’re a tenant who shares your building with other renters, you’ll likely have to hold off on sparking up in celebration of legalized marijuana next month. When recreational cannabis becomes legal on Oct. 17, one of the few places Canadians can legally smoke will be in private homes. For renters who live in multi-dwelling buildings, where they’re allowed to light up is a bit more complicated.

Ontario residents will be able to smoke recreational cannabis wherever the smoking of tobacco is permitted, the Progressive Conservative government said Wednesday, loosening rules established by the previous Liberal regime. The government will also not put a cap on pot shops when it starts licensing and regulating the province’s private cannabis retail marketplace, and municipalities will have until January to opt out of hosting the stores.

The nation's top drug regulator has officially changed how it regulates FDA-approved drugs that contain CBD, a marijuana compound, with the approval of the epilepsy drug Epidiolex. It's the first time in 46 years that the Drug Enforcement Administration has shifted its stance on cannabis.

If your idea of buying weed is going to a dealer's apartment and shelling out for whatever is on hand, a new reality is fast approaching. Canadians will soon be able breeze into meticulous, brightly lit outlets that have more in common with Apple stores and wine shops than the dingy, old head shops of yesteryear. But as legalization nears, there's a key question still hanging out there: What's the price?

Campers heading out to one of Canada's national parks can start adding cannabis to their kit. Parks Canada confirmed this week that marijuana can be consumed at its campsites — part of a policy of offering visitors a "consistent and predictable" experience at national parks across the country. "While Parks Canada campgrounds are public areas, the agency treats individual campsites as temporary domiciles for our visitors. For this reason, at Parks Canada campgrounds, consumption of cannabis will be permitted in campsites," spokesperson Marie-Hélène Brisson wrote in an email.

Much like making craft beer, yeast enzymes can be used to create THC and CBD, the active chemicals found in marijuana. Unlike other modern high growth industries, the pot business doesn’t require a doctorate in science, or even a college degree. Much of the economic hype which surrounds the industry depends on it remaining an agricultural product. But it might not always be that way.

Rat poison from marijuana farms appears to be sickening and possibly killing owls, fouling wildlife habitat and allowing rodents to spread contamination through large swaths of Northern California's most famous cannabis-growing region, University of California researchers said in a report published Thursday.

The legalisation of marijuana for medical purposes has led to a significant reduction in violent crime in several US states bordering Mexico, according to new research. The study, published in The Economic Journal, found that the rate of violent crime – including robberies, murders and aggravated assaults – fell by 12.5 per cent in counties close to the border after the introduction of medical marijuana laws (MMLs).

Medical cannabis patients have been reaping the healing benefits of pot for some time now, despite a lag or relative absence of high-quality research. A striking study released last week adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the medicinal benefits of marijuana, covering the potent anti-inflammatory benefits of cannabis use for patients suffering from alcohol-abuse related conditions.

He was the first person to receive a prescription for medical marijuana in the UK
An 11-year-old boy who was dying from severe epilepsy has not had any seizures for 300 days since being prescribed a medical marijuana product.
Billy Caldwell, whose intractable epilepsy means he cannot get help through medication or diet, began treatment with cannabis oil in the US, where medical marijuana is legal, in 2016.

The medicinal chemicals are concentrated in the flowering buds of a cannabis plants. In Minnesota’s first report card on cannabis and chronic pain, more than 60 percent of patients responding to a state survey said they benefited greatly from using pot in inhaled or pill forms.

Canada is on track to legalise marijuana for recreational use within months, an MP has said. Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party vowed to introduce the measure during the 2015 election campaign and brought legislation on the matter to the House of Commons in April 2017. The bill was later referred to the Senate, where it has faced fierce stiff opposition from Conservatives.

Marijuana may not be as damaging to the brain as previously thought, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder and the CU Change Lab. The research, which was published in the journal Addiction, examined the brains of more than 1,000 participants of varying ages, and found that long-term alcohol use is much more damaging to the brain than marijuana, contradicting years of research into the effects of marijuana and other cannabinoid products on the brain.

The Trump administration is abandoning a Justice Department plan to crack down on recreational marijuana in states where it is legal, a move that enables cannabis businesses in California and several other states to operate without fear of federal raids or prosecution.

For depression, use may exacerbate symptom severity over time.By passively monitoring user-generated data from medical cannabis patients, researchers have glimpsed the types and amounts of marijuana that seem effective for relieving symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. The findings could direct more detailed research into the best strains for specific conditions. But the data also hints at a danger of using marijuana to manage depression symptoms in the long term.

Legalising cannabis would reap the Australian economy almost $2bn a year, the Parliamentary Budget Office has found. The Greens plan to not only decriminalise cannabis but also legalise it for adult use is the latest case study of political differences, with both Labor and the Coalition looking into legalising it for medicinal use, but going no further.

Results from some of the first studies to examine hemp's ability to fight cancer show that it might one day be useful as plant-based treatment for ovarian cancer. Hemp is part of the same cannabis family as marijuana but doesn't have any psychoactive properties or cause addiction.